Means for removing paraffin from wells



March 11, 1952 MEYNFG 2,588,554

MEANS FOR REMOVING PARAFFIN FROM WELLS Filed Oct. 25, 1946 2 SHEETSSHEET l ROBTENEYN [G INVENTOR.

March 11, 1952 R MEYNIG MEANS FOR REMOVING PARAFFIN FROM WELLS 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1946 Rem E. NEYNIG INVENTOR.

BY H77'O/P/VEI Patented Mar. II, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,588,554 h MEANS FOR REMOVING PARAFFIN FROM WELLS Robert E Meynig, La Porte, Teri.

Application October 25, 1946, Serial No: 705,641

I The invention relates to a means for removing paraffin from wells, particularly where the well is flowing and under pressure.

It is objectionable to close in or kill a flowing well and the present invention directs itself .to

"the apparatus employing a method of procedure whereby the well may continue to flow while the paraffin is being removed except for short, periods of time.

It is one of the objects of the inventionto provide a closure assembly for connection to the Well head so that the paraffin scraper and'other equipment may be introduced into the well or removed therefrom without releasing the well pres- 'sure.

It is another object of the invention to provide a weight member to be rammed through the parafiin and to act as a sinker bar in lowering the scraper member through the paraifin.

Another object is to provide a sinker bar to pull a paraffin scraper downwardly through the paraffin.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a means for conducting a parafiin scraper .through the paraffin in a pipe in awell so as to be readily apparent when the following description is considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a well head equipped for practicing the invention and showing the weight member moving through the paraifm while the scraper member is suspended in the Well head. I g

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the well head equipped for practicing the invention and illustrating the sinker bar as having been forced through the paraffin, the scraper afiixed to the sinker bar cable with the sinker bar about to pull the scraper into the paraffin.

" Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the scraper support.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the scraper support. Fig. 1 illustrates a typical well having the casing I, casing head 2, and the well tubing 3 therein.

The head 2 has the flow line outlets 5 thereon and the seal 4 is arranged around the tubing;

The tubing 3 extends into the well to conduct the well liquid to the surface. As the oil enters the well from the formation, the pressure thereon is reduced and the temperature is usually lowered 1 claim.- (01. 166-18) as the oil moves upwardly in the tubing so that it is not uncommon, where paraflin is in solution in the well. for the para-fiin to solidify and cling to the tubing. In Fig. 1 the paraffin layer 6 is shown as having accumulated on the inside of the tubing 3. This parafiin is gradually deposited. becoming thicker and thicker and in many instances niay practically close the openings in the tubing so as to leave but a very small passage 7. Eventually accumulation of paraffin may close the passage through the tubing entirely and in many instances interference with the production of oil from the well is incurred unless it is removed.

Various types or paraffin scrapers have heretofore been devised, such for instance as that set forth in my prior copending application, Serial Number 563,276, filed November 13, 1944, which has matured into Patent 2,433,955, January 6, 1948s In connection with the present invention, however, a closure member ill in the form of a valve or blow-out preventer having the removable valve portions H operable by the cranks or handles l2 have'been illustrated. These members are arranged inside of a housing I3 and each has a resilient portion 14 thereon which is arranged to form a seal about the wire line or cable l5 passing therethrough.

This closure member i0 is mounted on the upper end of the tubing 3 and may have an extension 16' thereon which forms a chamber I! therein. In order to have access to this chamber a nipple I8 is arranged to be afiixed on the extension l6 by a clamp [9. A suitable stuffingbox 20 forms a seal around the wire line l5 where itpasses through anipple.

Considerable difiiculty is often encountered in moving the paraflin scraper such as the scraper 22 shown. in Fig. 1 downwardly'through the reduced opening I because of the fact that the parafiin scraper moves downwardly due to the force ofgravity.

The present invention contemplates an arrangement whereby a weight member 25 will be first run into the tubing with the cable l5 connected thereto; For instance, the assembly above the: tubing. 3 may be connected, the valve l0 closed so as to close the tubing. The nipple l8 may then be released. and the weight member 25 placed in the chamber I l. The nipple l8 can then be replaced so that the weight member will be in the chamber I'l The" valve members II will now be retracted: so as to allow the weightmember 25 to move downwardly into the tubing. As soon as the weight member has passed, the valve members U will be again closed. so: that the resilient porti'ons I bfiirm-a seal about the cable.

In one form of procedure, the weight member may be raised and lowered in the tubing 3 so as to cause the wires 26 thereon to scrape upon the surface of the parafiin and enlarge the opening 1 to the size of the passage 21 as seen in Fig. 1.- This weight or sinker bar member 25 may be of any desired weight but it has been found that a weight of some forty or fifty pounds is sufficient to cause it to move downwardly through the parafiin. The cable may be raised and lowered so that the weight member may be valve members H, a support ring best seen in Figs. 3 and 4 will be used. This ring is threaded at 3| to receive the threaded lower end 32 of the scraper 22 as best seen in Fig. 2. The ring is slotted at 33 so that it may be removed from the wire line as desired.-

By another procedure, the paraffin scraper may not be inserted in the chamber I! until the reciprocation of the weight has been accomplished. This reciprocation may .take some time because it is not uncommon for the accumula-- tion of paraifin to extend as much as fifteen hundred feet downwardly from the surface in the tubing. This scraper 22, while shown as one cylindrical piece, may as a matter of fact be paraffin, the valve members II will be tightly closed so as to provide a seal about the wire line and then the nipple l8 removed and the ring 30 made in more than one piece so that it may be the weight- ,member will work freely in position below the removed from its position supporting the paraflinv scraper and then the sleeve can be manipulated so as to clamp the scraper to the wire line by clamping the collet chuck 4| thereon. This is accomplished by turning the sleeve 40 on-the threaded portion 42 of the collet chuck 4| and.

looking it in position with the nut 43. In this manner, the paraflin scraper is now afixed to the wire line, the nipple I8 is now-replaced so as to close the chamber [1, and the valve members are opened. With the parts in this position, the paraflin in the tubing is depositedbelow the scraper and above the weight of the sinker bar. Downward movement of the cable allows the paraflin scraper to move down into the parafiin area and the weight of the sinker,

bar moving freely in the tubing tends to pull the scraper downwardly so as to insure its rapid movement through the paraflin. When suflicient reciprocation has been carried on so that the wires 45 on the scraper effect the removal of the paraflin as seen in the upper part" of Fig. 2, then the parts may be removed. The removal may be effected by raising the scraper above the valve members, closing them and removing the scraper. The nipple It can then be replaced,

the valve members opened and the sinker bars raised above the valve members. The valve members can then again be closed and suitable connections made on the top of the tubing whereupon the well is again opened for production. Suitable flow nipples may be connected on the tubing 3 either below or above the closure memher [0.

During the operation of loosening the paraflin, it may be desirable to permit the flowing of liquid upwardly through the tubing so as to flush out the loosened particles of paraflin.

It is believed that the operation and practicing of the invention will be obvious.

The invention contemplates broadly a means for quickly and efliciently removing paraflfin from the well without killing the well and while continuing the production of oil therefrom.

The invention claimed is:

An apparatus for removing paraffin which has been deposited on the inside of a well tubing in the well for a distance adjacent the earths surface because of the reduction in temperature and pressure, such apparatus including a closure device attached to the tubing above the head of the well and having means to confine the well pressure inthe tubing while a wire line passes slidably therethrough, a tubing nipple connected to the upper side of the closure device, a

Wire line to be lowered and raised in the tubing and extending slidably through said closure and about said wire line to confine the well pressure in the tubing and nipple when the closure device .is open, a sinker bar weight connected to the lower end of said wire line and of such weight as to exert a pull due to gravity on said wire line so that said weight may be dropped sharply to run through and below the paraifm deposit, a scraper of a size to slide in the tubing and in. cluding laterally extending scraper wires, a removable radially slotted support ring initially connected to the bottom of said scraper and supporting it on said closure device and within said nipple, said scraper being initially slidable on said wire line, releasable means on said scraper to stationarily connect it to said wire line at any position above said weight including a collet chuck mechanism connected to the scraper and clampable on said wire line, said closure device being closable to confine the well pressure in said well tubing and said nipple then openable for removal of said support ring from said scraper and clamping of said collet chuck mechanism on said wire line, said nipple being again connectible to said closure device and said closure openable to permit reciprocation of said weight, wire line and scraper in said well tubing to remove the deposited paraffin from the tubing walls.

ROBERT E. MEYNIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,210,359 Boulter Aug. 6, 1940 2,274,107 Sweet Feb. 24, 1942 2,433,955 Meynig Jan. 6, 1948 

